OUTLANDISHfanfic

With the plot twist in the s7 finale and now BOMB, I’ve got some fun ideas in how to revive A Child of the Stones… and am contemplating weaving in some elements of how the PJ books handle classic mythology.

My Brain: *drops the premise of an entirely new fic into my lap*

Me:

What are y’all loving right now?

Not a fan of how things play out on screen?

There’s a fanfic for that!

Have a head!canon that you like better?

Write the fanfic!

Prefer a fanfic over canon?

Share it!

Five years later, here's Chapter Five!!

Thank you to all of you who’ve been patiently waiting for an update. ❤️ And WELCOME if you’ve stumble upon my fics while I’ve been on hiatus. ❤️ Here's a link to the fic master list and to chapter four if you need a brush up. You can also find it here on AO3.

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Still January 18th, 2019; 11:30am. Hour Five.

A loud rumble emanated from my companion’s stomach and he sheepishly asked, “Ye dinna happen to have anythin’ to eat in that wee bag of yours, do ye?”

I’d planned on grabbing something from the cafeteria for lunch, but I thanked my lucky stars that I’d tossed an orange and a protein bar into my work bag on a whim before leaving this morning. Both, of course, had traveled to the very bottom recesses and it took me a moment to fish them out. 

“Catch,” I grinned, tossing him the orange as I opened the bar and took a bite.

His eyes widened in delight as he caught it and thanked me, then set about peeling it in the most pain-staking way I’d ever seen in my life.

“What on earth are you doing?”

The question had escaped my lips before I could stop it, but Jamie didn’t seem to mind. He gave me a half sort of shrug and continued to carefully strip away the peel, filling the air with the delicious smell of fresh citrus. 

“Taking my time,” he eventually answered in the impeccable comedic timing that I was quickly growing fond of and made me laugh.

“You must have the patience of a saint,” I commented dryly, silently wishing to borrow some of his. “Although, come to think of it, that would come in handy in the NICU.”

He looked up at me with a look of utter satisfaction as the peel fell away in a perfect spiral into his lap. 

“Aye, it does.”

This accomplished, he moved on to removing every bit of the remaining pith. Not a thread, not so much as even a speck of white remained as turned the orange over and over in his hands to double check his work. I took a bite of my bar and chewed it slowly as I watched him divide it in half and set about doing the same to the middle. 

He continued in this manner until both halves met with his approval and — to my surprise— offered one back to me.

“Oh!” I blinked at him for a moment, then held up my bar. “It’s alright, I’ve got this.”

Jamie rose one brow at me, not commenting but clearly communicating that he felt it didn’t constitute enough of a meal. 

I shook my head and insisted, “I’m fine.”

But he didn’t budge. The orange stayed held aloft in the center of his palm until I begrudgingly took it from him. I set it in my lap for a moment and quickly broke off a piece, offering it to him in trade. 

“I’ve plenty, Sassenach,” Jamie smiled, but kindly refused. 

“Why isn’t a whole protein bar enough food for me and yet a mere fraction of an orange is for you?” I narrowed my eyes at him and crinkled my wrapper for effect. “I had the good sense to eat before I left for work a few hours ago, but I’d wager you haven’t eaten for a good while longer.”

“Aye, well…”

His smile widened into a good natured grin as he quickly changed his mind. His fingers brushed against my palm as he took the proffered bar, sending a thrill up my arm and down my spine.

Steady, Beauchamp, I muttered to myself. Let’s not go and make a fool of ourselves. 

“An old habit, I suppose,” he explained. 

I’ve been pondering this for a while and I think my favorite thing is how multifaceted and layered it is.

It’s historical fiction, but it’s also SciFi. It’s filled with drama and there’s quite a lot of violence, but soft, tender moments are woven in with such dexterity too.

It’s been seven-ish years since I started watching and reading Outlander and I still discover new things every time I rewatch/reread. And I know I will for years to come, even after the last episode has wrapped and aired.

Oooooo. That’s a good one.

I think I prefer the show.

There are a few book scenes that I wish we could have gotten on screen, but I really love the world they’ve built.

My ask box is open (anons welcome) or reply here and I’ll respond too!

This chapter has been a long time coming. It's short, but there's more to come. Thank you to all of you who have stuck around and hello to all of you who are just discovering Metamorphosis. I truly hope you enjoy it and I cannot wait to bring you more chapters of this fic. 💙

You can find a master list of previous chapters here or this fic is also on AO3 if you'd like to read it there.

Enjoy! 💚

February 22nd, 1744; Afternoon. Claire.

The swell of angry voices grew to a thunderous pitch, drowning out any form of coherent thought. My heart lodged itself at the back of my throat as the floor beneath me creaked and groaned and harkened the arrival of my worst nightmare. 

Gritting my teeth, I lifted my head to face my foe but it was the midwife’s face that swam before mine. 

I frowned at her and shook my head in confusion as she motioned towards the babies. A hideous sound left my lips as she reached out and tore them from my arms. 

Jamie’s name twisted on my tongue, contorting into a desperate plea for help as I careened after her. My vision blurred as the tips of my fingers brushed against her skirts and I threw myself forward, frantically trying to grab hold of her. 

My head spun as I hit the floor. The impact stole the breath from my lungs, leaving me gasping for air. I could hear the men approaching, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe as they grabbed me and lifted me off the ground. 

The shock of their soggy clothes against my skin freed my reflexes just enough for me to strike out blindly. 

“Christ, Sassenach,” they cursed as my fist hit their nose. 

“Tis me!”

I froze, staring up at Jamie in surprise. 

He blinked rapidly for a moment before a half snort, half laugh escaped him as he commented, “I canna fault yer aim, mo nighean donn, but warn me next time, aye?”

I turned my face into his chest and promptly dissolved into a blubbering mess. Jamie’s arms tightened around me as I began to tremble from head to toe. A blanket materialized out of thin air and covered me from head to toe, but it did little to thaw the bitter chill that numbed my lips and immobilized my limbs. 

My eyes slid shut as he began to rock me back and forth. He bent his head, his lips moving against my hair as he apologized. 

“Forgive me,” Jamie repeated over and over, first in English before slipping into Gàidhlig. “Oh, God, Claire… please forgive me. 

He stroked my back and the familiar, steady movement stemmed my tears, slowly quieting the raging storm within my heart. I managed one deep breath and then another as my head stopped spinning. 

I heard Jamie speaking to someone and could feel the deep vibrations in his chest against my cheek, but couldn’t make out his words. Their conversation stayed out of reach as more voices joined them, swirling and swelling around me until I could no longer distinguish one person from another. 

A hand rested on my shoulder for a moment before Jamie shifted me in his arms, loosening his embrace as he eased me back into a more reclined position. I cracked open one eye to assess the situation and found the midwife kneeling beside me. 

“It is time to bring you to my home, my dear,” she smiled gently. “You have waited long enough.”

One of the babies was tucked safely in the crook of her elbow, now bundled warmly and ready for the journey. He began to cry and she bent forward as she brought his tiny face near mine. 

He stopped immediately as I kissed his brow and cheek. His eyes opened as he scowled at me and seemed to study me closely for a moment before sighing heavily. 

“Aye, a bhalaich,” Jamie chuckled softly. 

Is anyone still here? Is this mic still on?

Thank you and hello to those of you who are. Bless you.

I have a new chapter of Metamorphosis that will be ready to post soon. I can't even really believe I can finally write that and truly mean it. It's short. But there's more to come.

I've been fighting a medication side effect that often made coming up with words hard... as you can imagine this made writing for pleasure nearly impossible. Thankfully, we made a change recently and this is slowly coming back to me. Chronic illness is truly a bitch.

I've done lots of dreaming about what I want to do with my fics.

I cannot wait to share all of it with you.

Dinna fash, folks. I haven’t gone back on hiatus.